Dbying cloth



D. W. KENNEDY,OF STAUNTON, VIRGINIA.

DRYING CLOTH.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,163,` dated June 27, 1854.

which stand out from the backs of the standards. This roller serves as a guide to the To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, D. W. KENNEDY, of

Staunton, in the county of Augusta and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Tentering and Drying Cloth; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings,` forming part of this specification, in which- .i

Figure l, is a longitudinal vertical section of an apparatus constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2,`is atransverse vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both gures.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, A, are two standards, whichsupport in suitable bearings, t-he shaft, B, which carries the wheels or open disks, C, C. The shaft,

B, is hollow, and is connected at one end by a stuffingbox,-D, with a steam or hotair p pipe, E; and at the other end, `by a similar stuiing box, with a discharge pipe, F. It is` enlarged at that part between the` wheels in the form of a drum, G. The wheels, C, C,

`all in one piece. actly the reverse of the other, in order that consist each of a hub, a; arms,? b; a spiral strip, c, c, attached to the arms, and making several volutio-ns, anda rim, d. Theymay be built of wood, or may beof cast iron, cast One is made of a form exwhen the spiral strips, c, c, face each other, they may correspond exactly. The tenter hooks, e, e, are secured in the spiral strips at suitable distances apart, so that they run spirally round the faces of the wheels, or disks. The wheel, or disk, C, is secured to the shaft, B, in a fixed position, but the other, C', is movable, being fittedby a female thread` in itsyeye center, ona male screw on the shaft, so that by turning it on `the shaft the distance between the two series of tenterhooks maybe varied for cloths of different widths. A key way should be cut, partly in the shaft, and partly in the hub of C, to receive a key for the purpose of securing the wheel to the shaft with its `spiral row ofhooks opposite those of the other wheel. In rear of the wheels, C, C',

parallel with their shaft, and nearly on a level with the top of them, is a roller, H, which turns freely in bearings in arms, I, I,

cloth during the operation of stretching it between the wheels. The shaft, B, is furnished with fast and loose pulleys, J, J', and

receives rotary motion from any suitable f prime mover. It is also furnished with a ratchet wheel, K, into which engages al pawl, L, (see Fig. 2), attached to one of the standards, for the purpose of preventing the turning of the shaft in any but the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. v

The cloth is stretched and dried in the following manner. i The wheel, C', is previously adjusted to its proper position on the shaft according to the width of the cloth, and made secure. The' end ofthe piece is then brought over the roller, H, and both sides attached to th'e tenter hooks at the inmost extremity, f, (see Fig. 2), of the spiral line. The shaft is then gradually turned to allow the clothto be hooked on the tenter hooks until the whole piece is hooked on, whe-nits position is as represented in red outline in Figs. 1, and 2. The shaft is then set in motion at a speed of about four hundred (400) revolutions in a minute, and the rapid revolution of the cloth in the direction of the` arrow causes a partial vacuum to be produced behind the opening or extremity, g, of the space between the volutions of the cloth, causing currents of air to rush through the openings in the wheels or disks' to ll the said vacuum. A rapid circulation of air is thus caused between the several volutions of the cloth, and this, assisted by the heated cylinder, G, produces a speedy evaporation and escape of all the moisture from the cloth. i

Thus, it will be observed that, the drying is eifectedpartly by the current of air which the cloth creates when in motion, and partly by the radiation of heat from the hot air or steam drum, which, by itscentral position, causes the cloth t0- be uniformly dried throughout its length on the scroll, the hot air drum giving out most heat on that portion of the cloth nearest the center, where ment of the hot air or steam drum and spiral positionl of the cloth on the reel, with suiiicient air space between the volutions, a long length of cloth may be dried more rapidly, economically and uniformly in a Small compass or space than by any known arrangement in which the cloth is spread open and made vto cover a greater and inconvenient length of space.

1 A piece of cloth, forty (40) yards in length may be dried by this apparatus in about forty minutes.

rl`he apparatus occupies but little room; its size may be varied to suit circumstances. The space between the several volutions of the, cloth will not usually require to be more than two inches. This measurement will, in some degree, serve as a guide for the'diameter of the' wheels, which will be dependent onlthe length of the piece of cloth.

I do not claim as new, the revolving reel or heads having the cloth to be dried wound spirally between the heads, with a continuous air space between the volutions; nor do I claim, in itself, for drying cloth, the employment of a revolving hot air or steam drum; but- I do claim as newI and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 'Ihe reel constructed as described in combination with the hot air, or steam, drum arranged upon itsshaft; whereby the cloth D. W. KENNEDY.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. H. KING, I. H. OBRIEN. 

